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Voices that matter, in Iowa and the metal fabrication shop floor

This seemingly never-ending election cycle has made me take pause about just how unhappy a lot of people in the United States seem to be. The mood probably comes from an economy seemingly forever stuck in low gear.

This holds true with the economy in general and in the metal fabrication business too. The 4th Quarter 2015 Forming & Fabricating Job Shop Consumption Report came out this week from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International. Only 13 percent of respondents said they would be hiring more, while the majority said they’d be hiring at the same pace for the foreseeable future. One positive note: Most reported that their planned capital equipment purchases are on track—a steady trend that carried through much of last year.

Last night I noticed a change of mood. After months of pessimism and negative campaigning, last night the mood among caucus-goers seemed to change. It made me feel that something good was at work. People had a voice.

Giving people a voice may be at the very core of what makes an engaging, sustaining culture—and this probably applies as much to the fab shop as it does the Iowa electorate.

Seeing people caucus made me think of the “communication boards” posted throughout Bermo Inc., a custom fabricator and stamper north of the Twin Cities. On these boards people post ideas, and those ideas undergo a set process that makes it virtually impossible to dismiss any idea outright. We’ll detail this process in next month’s FABRICATOR magazine.

When I toured the Bermo plant in December, the first thing I saw was that communication board. And when I walked through the plant, people looked engaged, happy. They showed be various improvements—a status sign on machines here, a quick-fixturing concept there—that made life easier on the floor. And most of those ideas came right from the people on the front lines.

They were happy not just because they had a voice, but they knew their voices actually could make a difference.

About the Author
The Fabricator

Tim Heston

Senior Editor

2135 Point Blvd

Elgin, IL 60123

815-381-1314

Tim Heston, The Fabricator's senior editor, has covered the metal fabrication industry since 1998, starting his career at the American Welding Society's Welding Journal. Since then he has covered the full range of metal fabrication processes, from stamping, bending, and cutting to grinding and polishing. He joined The Fabricator's staff in October 2007.